Paint can holder

ABSTRACT

A container holder for use in holding a container, such as a paint can, having a body with an upper and lower end, a bail retainer positioned on the body to retain the bail or handle of the container, a flexible strap attached to the body for wrapping around and securing the container, and a flange disposed on the upper end on the body. The shape of the body and the presence of a flange allows a user with either a disability or an injury to the digits, to conveniently hold and manoeuver the container using only the thumb and forefinger.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a container holder, particularly to a paint can holder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When painting a room, a painter often has to carry a paint can around the room and up a ladder. Conventional paint cans are generally equipped with a semicircular metal wire handle, the so-called bail. Manually holding the paint can for an extended period of time can be problematic as the bail may put a significant localized stress onto the user's fingers. Also, holding the paint can and dipping a brush or applicator at the same time may be cumbersome as the hand holding the bail over the middle of the container may get in the way of the brush.

Various paint can holders have been proposed to alleviate the above problems. Exemplary patent references describing the proposed designs are listed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,311 to Trimboli describes a container holder having a solid base dimensioned to receive the bottom of either a typical quart or gallon container. A threaded rod is attached to the base to allow a clamping hook to be screwed down to hold the top of the container. The top of the threaded rod is provided with a loop which is grasped by the user in order to carry the can.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,921 to Dancyger et al., describes a hands-free paint can holder that allows a painter to attach a paint can to the painter's belt. U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,131 to Francis discloses a paint can holder which attaches only to the top opening of the paint can. The paint can then be carried by the handle or suspended from a tether.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,102,458 (Scace), U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,471 (Widman) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,057 (Lockwood) all describe paint can holders that attach to the paint can in order to provide an auxiliary handle, alleviating the need for transporting the paint can via the metal bail. Each of these devices provides the handle at a position below the upper surface of the paint can. The position of the handle requires a tremendous amount of forearm strength to carry a full one-gallon paint can. Therefore these handles are not suitable for individuals who do not have full use of their arms and/or digits.

Although many of the prior references attempt to provide container holders which can be used to conveniently carry a paint can, without relying on the bail for carrying, very few references provide a container holder that is designed with consideration to the way the user may grasp the holder.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,520 to Niemeier discloses an ergonomic paint can holder. The paint can holder has a body in which the paint can is attached and a handle portion extending from the body which is provided at an angle which can be comfortable and easily grasped by the hand of the user. Although the shape of handle of the paint can holder described by Niemeier does provide a comfortable grip for the average person, the angle of the handle is not convenient or practical for a user with a disability, such as an amputated digit, or for a person who has suffered injury to one or more digits.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container holder that overcomes the limitations of the prior art and is particularly suited for holding paint cans.

The container holder of the present invention is provided to allow a user with either a disability or an injury to the digits of a hand to conveniently hold and manoeuver a container, such as a paint can, using only the thumb and forefinger/index finger.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a container holder for use with a cylindrical container having a bottom, side wall and an arcuate bail attached to the side walls, the container holder comprising: an elongated body defining a longitudinal axis and having an upper portion and a lower portion, a bail retainer mounted on the body for retaining the bail and suspending the container, a restraint associated with the elongated body intermediate the upper portion and the lower portion for holding the container against the elongated body, and a flange disposed at an upper end of the upper portion of the elongated body and extending around a substantially entire periphery of the upper end, the flange dimensioned to locate a user's hand when the elongated body is grasped at the upper end by the user's hand practically regardless of the position of the hand.

Typically, the restraint is a flexible strap attached to the body and having releasable fastening means, for example a hook and loop fastener or snap connectors, at its loose ends, the attachment to the body being intermediate the loose ends.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the can holder of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the can holder of FIG. 1 wherein a paint can mounted to the holder is shown in phantom lines; and

FIG. 3 is a view of the can holder of FIG. 2 being held by a user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of a preferred embodiment by way of example only and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying the invention into effect.

As shown in the drawings, the holder 1 has an elongated body 10 defining a longitudinal axis, and is made of a lightweight material such as plastic, cellulose, metal alloys, polypropylene or wood or composites thereof, which is sturdy enough to carry a gallon paint can 11 shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2. In a preferred embodiment, the elongated body 10 has a similar shape to a baseball bat, wherein an upper portion 14 shoulder region 26 transitions the wider lower portion 28 of the body 10 to the narrower upper portion 14. The upper portion 14 is dimensioned for an easy grasp with a human hand, typically about 20 to 35 mm in diameter. The body 10 has a flange 12 at the top of the upper portion 14. The flange 12 is shown as having a doughnut or discus shape but may have essentially any shape with rounded corners to prevent discomfort or injury to the user's hand. When the user grasps the body 10 at the upper portion 14, the flange 12 provides an abutment for the user's hand regardless of the position of the hand around the periphery of the upper portion 14 of the body 10. For the latter reason, the flange 12 is preferably mounted perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the body 10. The arrangement of the flange 12 to the body 10 permits the holder 1 to be grasped by a user by using only the thumb and forefinger (FIG. 3), which is advantageous for those who may not have full use of all their digits.

As a result, the user can grasp the body 10 at various positions so as to orient the paint can 11 towards or away from the user, for example. Due to the straight-linear shape of the body 10 in the embodiment illustrated, the user's hand grasping the holder does not impede dipping a paint applicator in the paint.

Mounted on the body 10 is a bail retainer 16 for engaging a bail 18 of the paint can 11. The bail retainer 16 is typically a hook attached to the body 10 of the holder 1. However, various means for retaining the bail 18 can be used including a clamp which can frictionally engage the bail or a depression provided in the body 10 capable of receiving and retaining the bail. Alternatively, a magnet of sufficient strength to retain the bail 18 and support the weight of a full can of paint against the body 10 may be used. At the lower end of the body 10 is affixed a bracket 20 with a rib 22 typically attached for engaging a bottom lip manufactured in a typical paint can. As illustrated, for a typical one-gallon paint can 11, the distance between the bail retainer 16 and the bracket 20 is such that when the bail 18 is engaged with the bail retainer 16, the bottom lip of the can is engaged with the rib 22. For cans or containers of smaller sizes, additional hooks (not shown) may be installed on the body 10 at various places along its length, or alternatively, the container may be secured using only the bail retainer 16 and the restraint 24 as described below.

The restraint 24 is provided along the length of the body 10 to prevent undesired movement of the container away from the holder 1 during use. Typically, the restraint 24 is provided as a flexible strap, for example made of sturdy fabric, is secured to the body 10 using conventional releasable or permanent fastening means, for example a screw. The loose ends of the strap 24 can be provided with hook and loop fasteners 30 and the strap 24 should be of sufficient length to encircle at least a typical one-gallon paint can and to clasp the hook and loop ends together thus securing the paint can to the body 10. One or both sides of the hook and loop fastener can be elongated, so as to permit variation in the length of the strip 24 when the ends are engaged, whereby cans of different diameters can be readily accommodated in a snug manner. As an alternative to hook and loop fasteners 30, other conventional fastening means may be used such as snaps or buttons.

Alternatively, depending on the application and the material of the container being held, the restraint 24 can comprise of a magnet or magnets (not shown) of sufficient strength to hold the container against the holder I or detachable flexible arms (not shown) which frictionally engage the container to grip and stabilize the container when in use. The flexible arms can be provided to form a loop structure which can encircle the container and the ends of the arms can be optionally connected together to form a unitary structure. It is also contemplated that more than one type of restraint 24 can be used in combination for additional strength in holding the container.

Thus, the container holder of the invention is typically of simple one-piece construction, easy to manufacture and effective in use.

The present invention has been described with regard to preferred embodiments. However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein. 

1. A container holder for use with a cylindrical container having a bottom, a side wall and an arcuate bail attached to the top of the side wall, the container holder comprising: an elongated body defining a longitudinal axis and having an upper portion and a lower portion; a bail retainer mounted on said body for retaining the bail and suspending the container; a restraint attached to the elongated body intermediate said upper portion and said lower portion for holding the container against the elongated body; a bracket at a lower end of the body for engaging and supporting the bottom of the container when the bail is engaged with said bail retainer; and a flange disposed at an upper end of the upper portion of the elongated body and extending around a substantially entire periphery of the upper end, the flange dimensioned to locate a user's hand when the elongated body is grasped in a vicinity of the upper end by the user's hand.
 2. The holder according to claim 1 wherein said restraint comprises a flexible strap having two ends and a fastener for releasable fastening of the two ends together.
 3. The holder according to claim 2 wherein the fastener comprises hook and loop fasteners, snaps or buttons.
 4. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the restraint comprises one or more magnets for releasable attachment of the container to the elongated body.
 5. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the restraint comprises detachable flexible arms for frictionally engaging the container.
 6. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the restraint comprise more than one of flexible straps, magnets and flexible arms.
 7. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the body is dimensioned for grasping with a human hand.
 8. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the bracket further comprises a rib for engaging a bottom lip provided in a typical paint can.
 9. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the flange is circular in shape.
 10. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the bail retainer is selected from the group consisting of a hook, a depression provided on the elongated body and a magnet. 